Never Let Go
by xxMagicHorseShoesxx
Summary: My little brother's eyes were full of tears, fear, hope and love. They became my anchor to life and reminded me to never let go of the promise we had made to each other so long ago, even as the pain became more unbearable. Set after Suite Life Movie.
1. Chapter 1

This just kind of dawned on me. I watched Titanic again recently and I just love the scene where Jack tells Rose to never let go of her promise. I just wondered what I could do with that and decided it would be fun to try it with the Suite Life on Deck. We don't see enough brotherly love on that show.

If you haven't watched the Suite Life Movie, I suggest you do before reading this story. It is set right after the movie, which means to me that Zack and Cody can still communicate with their minds. Which is pretty cool, tell you what. Yes, I understand that it wore off eventually because they didn't place any more reference on it in the later episodes.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Nothing. These characters are borrowed for our own enjoyment and that includes any lines from any movie/show/etc.

Anything in _italics_ are Cody and Zack communicating through their minds.

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><p><strong>*Zack's POV*<strong>

I can't remember a time I ever felt this weak, tired or utterly helpless.

I don't think it ever happened.

Until now.

My brother supported me, keeping my head above the water as he swam towards the life boats. The water _hurt. _It was so cold and felt as if I was being stabbed with thousands of tiny knives. The roar of the fire on the burning ship was behind us and someone was shouting our names.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a small wooden boat that rolled with the waves. There were voices all around, hands upon me and someone was holding me. Cody. I recognized his touch. It was his arms the supported me and held me close. But the fog in my head made it impossible to make out what anyone was saying.

There was another pair of hands touching my face. These were different than the rest. Different from Cody. If my brother was holding me, then who…?

I managed to open my eyes to find the person who was touching my face and holding a cloth against the cut on my forehead. Her hair was wet and plastered to her face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her eyes widened in surprise to see me looking back at her.

Her?

_Bailey? She's alive!_

_Yes, Zack. She's alive. All thanks to you…_

_Cody?_

My brother appeared in my limited line of sight, looking just as wet and as miserable as Bailey. _I'm here. Don't move. You're hurt._

His words seemed to bring reality crashing back down. I closed my eyes against the pain as the boat dipped with the waves. A moan – halfway between a growl and a scream – escaped me. Cody said nothing between our link and only pulled me closer, until I was halfway in his lap.

_What happened?_

_You saved Bailey. Although you pushed her overboard, that still got her out of the way of another explosion. You took the brute of it, Zack. There's glass embedded in your side._

That would explain the feeling of being thrown in the oven. Not to mention the piercing agony in my side. I groaned as Bailey applied pressure to the large cut on the side of my face. That hurt, a _lot_.

_Yes. And then you saved _me. I opened my eyes to look at him. There were tears on Cody's face. I could feel that he was regretting was he was about to say next because it would cause me more pain. Haven't I been through enough already?

_Zack, it has to come out._

_No! Leave it alone!_

_Zack, it _has_ to come out. It could pierce one of your vital organs if you don't let Moseby remove it._

I could feel that he was right. Knowing that this wasn't going to be at all pleasant, I buried my face in his shirt. Cody tightened his arms around me.

_Relax, Zack. Calm down. The pain will be worse if you work yourself up like this._

I tried, but I couldn't. I was freezing and it was beginning to hurt to even breathe. Even with my brother's arms around me and his comfort, I felt trapped with all these hands weighing me down. Cody said something above my head and they released me, backing away until I could only sense his and Bailey's presence.

_Zack. Look at me. Please?_

My brother dislodged the grip I had on his shirt and forced me to turn my face. I blinked against the dizziness and eventually the blob hovering above me turned into Cody's face. The only thing I noticed was his eyes. My little brother's eyes were full of tears, fear, hope and love. They became my anchor to life and reminded me to never let go of the promise we had made to each other so long ago, even as the pain became more unbearable.

_You'll be alright, Zack. I promise. Never let go. Remember?_

*Flashback*

_We both waved goodbye to Mom as she made her way down the gangplank, back to shore. The S.S. Tipton sounded its horn one last time before the ship began to move. We silently waved goodbye to the crowds below, just going along with the flow of things as everyone else on the ship seemed to be doing that._

_"Well, I guess it's up to us now."_

_I turned to face my little brother, surprised to hear such fear in his voice._

_"What do you mean_?"

_Cody shrugged, leaning against the rail. "Since Mom isn't here anymore, we'll have to look out for each other more often now. Anything can happen on a ship in the middle of the ocean, Zack. More so the world, being so far away from home as we will be."_

_"Why are you worrying so much? We're not alone. We've got Moseby here and London and who knows how many crew members…"_

_"But Moseby and London don't know you like I do, Zack!"_

_I paused, taken aback by his sudden outburst. "You do have a point there, Cody. They don't know you like I do, too."_

_"Zack, promise me that no matter what happens or how hopeless the future may seem, we'll always stick together and that we'll never let go of each other. Have you seen what we can accomplish when we work together? Please, promise me now, Zack."_

_I gazed at my little brother for a long moment. It dawned on me during his little speech that even though we were surrounded by friends, I was all he had and vice versa. There may be times where we had fought and said things that had hurt each other, but we always managed to come through for one another._

_I threw an arm around him, pulling him close. We rarely had moments like this, but with Cody being my only brother and sibling, it just felt right. "I promise, Codes. I'll never let go of that promise. Not even death can tear us apart. You're my brother and I love you._

_"Never let go?" Cody looked up at me, his eyes shining with tears._

_"Never let go." I repeated, my voice coming out in a whisper._

_Cody threw his arms around me in a hug. "I love you too, Zack."_

*End Flashback*

I squeezed my eyes shut. A moan escaped me as the pain claimed me once again, leaving me shaking and gasping in the arms of my brother.

_I remember. I never thought a day would come where it would be so hard to keep that promise._

I could feel my brother crying. He was shaking from holding back sobs and I could feel his tears on my face.

_It will be alright, Zack. You'll make it._

I opened my eyes, locking with his. _I'll never let go. I promise._ I reached for him and he grabbed my hand, pulling me closer. _Make it quick._

He said something because his lips moved, but I couldn't hear a word. I didn't make a sound as hands gripped my legs again, pinning me down to the bottom of the boat. Bailey just sat close, a welcome comfort as she kept wiping the blood from my face. I ignored the rest of them. I had eyes only for my brother. He held my gaze steadily, offering love and comfort.

Then came the pain. It felt white hot and would not stop.

I screamed in agony, thrashing against the hands that held me. I bucked and kicked, trying to make them release me. To find a release from this pain that would not stop. That only caused them to hold me tighter. I gave up, sagging in Cody's grip and shivering from the pain and shock. There was a sudden, horrible pressure to my side. It wouldn't let up and I realized that someone was wrapping my wound. I felt light-headed.

_Zack? Zack! Answer me. You have to remember to breathe. Breathe, Zack!_

What?

_Don't make me kiss you, Zack!_

That did it. My eyes snapped open and I gasped for air. I glared up at Cody, daring him to even try it. He smiled down at me.

_Good. Now I won't have to. _

_Cody? I'm so cold…_

The smile vanished from his face as quickly as it had come. He turned out of my line of sight, appearing again after I had been wrapped in several blankets. Bailey tried to smile at me, but I knew what both of them were thinking.

_Better?_

I turned my head towards him. In all honesty, the cold was becoming worse. It was worse than being in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. It was even worse than jumping into snow with only your underpants on. It numbed the pain, but became a deep hurt itself. I didn't understand the feeling but it dawned on me what it could mean. Was I dying?

I looked into Cody's eyes and told him what he was dreading to hear. I could feel his fear, his hopelessness.

_No._

Cody paled. Tears coursed down his face. _Oh God, Zack. Don't die. You can't. Not here. Not this night._

The edges of my vision were darkening. I didn't know how much longer I could stay awake.

_I did make a promise. Didn't I? Codes? Never let go. You can't either. Don't let go of hope, Cody. I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere._

_But you could! Don't go where I can't follow! Please._

_I'd never leave you. I'm so tired…why can't you let me sleep?_

I didn't understand why my brother was crying even harder now. A dreadful silence had fallen over the little lifeboat. I could feel the rest of the survivors watching me, as if they were waiting for me to do something.

_Cody? What's happening?_

The agony was coming off my little brother in waves. Something had seriously upset him and I wanted to give whatever that was a piece of my mind. If only I could find my strength, but it was gone. It was draining away from me.

Cody's voice echoed in my head, his tone sounding strange as if he was choked with tears and speaking aloud instead.

_You're dying, Zack. And there's nothing else I can do to help you._

To Be Continued...

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><p>No flames, please! Please read and review. Feel free to rant, though. Next chapter will be from Cody's view.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter! Finally! It has been so long since I have been on this website! I am sorry for the long awaited update of this story. Thank you for all your reviews! I love reading what you guys liked about this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Nothing. These characters are borrowed for our own enjoyment and that includes any lines from any movie/show/etc.

Anything in _italics_ are inner thoughts.

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><p><strong>*Cody's POV*<strong>

It had been hours. I had lost track of how many hours long ago, and quite frankly, I did not want to know. The chair was stiff and cold beneath me. I felt numb. Scared, too scared to move from this spot.

Waiting was always the worst part.

It was more terrifying than the chaos that occurred when escaping the S.S. Tipton. Worse than when Zack practically threw me into the lifeboat and then dashed back to find Bailey. I thought I was never going to see him again.

That's what made the waiting so horrible.

My big brother had saved our lives, and now I waited on word to know if he lived or died.

My hands were sore, scrubbed red and raw in my attempts to wash his blood off my hands. I would never be the same person ever again. I had held my brother in his dying moments and nothing in all my years of education and perfect grades had prepared me for that. Bailey and I had done our best to treat him as shock set in, but there had been little we could do while floating in a lifeboat on the Atlantic Ocean with only a first aid kit.

I still couldn't get the image of my brother, bleeding and shivering in my arms, out of my mind.

The silence hanging over the waiting room was becoming too heavy.

_If someone doesn't say something soon, I swear I am going to have a full-fledged panic attack._

"Cody?"

_Thank God._

Bailey stood in front of me, holding two cups of some type of steaming liquid. Her face was blotchy and her eyes red-rimmed as if she had been crying. Her hair was dry now, and pretty as she had it falling over one shoulder.

"Here, you need to drink this. It's hot chocolate. Good for the nerves," she said, shoving one of the cups towards me.

I couldn't speak, so I just accepted it from her with a small smile. Taking a sip, I instantly felt calmer. The air in the room no longer felt as heavy as it was before. Bailey sat down next to me, our shoulders touching. She was silent for a minute, taking a sip from her own cup of hot chocolate.

"You know, Cody, you look good in scrubs."

I turned to look at her. She was wearing the light blue scrubs as well. We had arrived at the hospital drenched in seawater and Zack's blood. A few of the nurses had taken pity on us, giving us a set of scrubs to change. I smiled at her, she was so pretty and warm and a welcoming sight.

"You look good in scrubs too, Bailey."

She looked at me, new tears brimming in her eyes. "He speaks," she whispered. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten how."

I glanced away, looking back down at my hands.

"How could I when half of me is missing?"

She sucked in her breath. "Zack will make it, Cody. He made it this far. He'll pull through, I know he will," she said, her voice soft and comforting.

Not wanting to hold it anymore, I downed my cup of hot chocolate, gasping at the searing heat in my throat. The heat felt better than the cold anyway. I set my cup down on the side table and turned to face her. There were new tears on her face.

_Damn it, had I made her cry more?_

"It's my fault he got hurt in the first place, Bailey. I wasn't paying attention during the evacuation. I lost you and I panicked. I wanted to go back into the ship and find you, but Zack wouldn't let me." My voice cracked, I could feel the tears stinging behind my eyes. "He threw me into that lifeboat and went back for you. It's my fault, it's all my fault."

Not able to face her any longer, I turned away, the weight of my confession bearing down upon me. I could feel hot tears on my face. I felt like I had been crying for days. A hand touched the side of my face, turning my head to face the other person. Bailey glared at me. Or tried to, but her expression showed she was not pleased.

"Let's get something straight, Cody. It is not your fault. You hear me? It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. Zack went back for me because he cares about you, about us and he knows how much you love me."

"But if I really loved you, I wouldn't have lost you on that ship."

She shook her head. "No one knows yet what happened, and it was just chaos. It was not your fault we were separated. But we found each other again, didn't we?"

"Yes," I whispered. "And all because of Zack. I love you, Bailey."

Bailey smiled, a real smile. "And I love you, Cody." She hugged me and I hugged her back. It seemed appropriate, as a kiss would not have worked since we were both emotionally exhausted.

"Cody? Can you feel anything? From Zack, I mean," she asked, her voice low as her question was meant only for me to hear.

She meant our telepathic bond. Bailey was the only one who knew about it. The only person Zack and I had told about our experience at the Gemini Project.

I pulled away from her and sat quietly for a moment, trying to focus on the connection. But there was nothing, it was as if our link had disappeared into darkness. I hoped it was only because Zack was unconscious, as he had become moments before we were rescued.

I closed my eyes, trying to not let my mind wander back to what happened on that little lifeboat.

"No. Nothing."

Silence crept between us for a few moments.

"Mr. Cody Martin? Is there a Mr. Cody Martin here for Zachary Martin?"

I shot up out of my seat at the sound of the thick British accent. Bailey stood with me, standing close, grasping my arm. The others, Mr. Mosby, London, Woody, and Ms. Tutwiler stayed in their seats, frozen, looking almost fearful about the news we were about to hear. A woman with short blonde hair in green scrubs stood in the waiting room. I prayed that this was Zack's doctor bringing me good news.

"Yes, I am Cody Martin."

I was shaking. Bailey tightened her grip.

"I'm Dr. Kimberly Barton," she said, approaching to shake my hand. "Why don't we sit down?"

Bailey and I sat back in our usual seats and Dr. Barton sat on the table in front of us, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

"Now, before I go over all the details, I want you to know that Zachary is going to be just fine."

Bailey almost squealed next to me, her hand grasping mine. Mixed sounds of laughter and relief echoed in the room. Mr. Mosby patted me on the shoulder. I only stared at Dr. Barton. Her words had lifted a huge weight off my soul, but I knew she wasn't finished.

"He'll recover completely?"

Dr. Barton smiled at me. There was a light in her eyes that gave me hope for Zack.

"Yes, however, we are not out of the woods yet. Zachary lost a lot of blood. None of his vital organs were damaged from the glass, his ribs protected him. We were able to repair the damage from the glass and gave him a couple blood transfusions. He also has a concussion and seventeen stitches in the cut on his face. Your rescue team from Her Majesty's Coast Guard has told us how you treated Zachary for hypovolemic shock. You did very well, Mr. Martin. If you had not done that, your brother would have died."

Her words stopped me short. "You're certain of this?" I whispered, trying to hold back the tears building up behind my eyes.

"I am most certain, Mr. Martin. Zachary has not yet regained consciousness and we are monitoring him closely in the recovery ward. We were able to reverse hypovolemia completely, but there may be a few lingering side-effects for a short time. Once your brother is moved to his own room, you will be able to see him."

I had lost the battle with my tears, which were streaming down my face. I nodded, smiling. "Thank you very much, Dr. Barton," I said, shaking her hand again.

"One of my nurses will let you know when you can see Zachary," she said, smiling at me again and nodding goodbye to the others.

I didn't see much after that, for I had my face buried in Bailey's hair as we embraced. I cried silently into her shoulder. Zack had survived, he was alive!

He had kept his promise. Now it was my turn to keep mine.

_To Be Continued..._

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><p>Thanks for reading! Please review!<p> 


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